Nuclear Weapons
Britain could once again host US nuclear missiles amid growing tensions with Russia, Philip Hammond indicated yesterday. The Foreign Secretary said the Government ‘would look at the case’ for cruise missiles to be sited in the UK. He added that Britain needed to send ‘clear signals’ to Vladimir Putin amid ‘worrying signs’ of increased military activity by Russian forces – including the installation of missiles in Kaliningrad, an enclave on the Baltic Sea.
Daily Mail 8th June 2015 read more »
City AM 7th June 2015 read more »
Telegraph 7th June 2015 read more »
New Nukes
There would be less opposition to new nuclear power stations if they were not such ugly buildings according to the government’s new energy secretary. Amber Rudd said new major infrastructure projects should be aesthetically pleasing in an effort to reduce objections from local communities. Ms Rudd said major investment was required as highly-polluting coal-fired power stations are decommissioned and replaced with greener types of power generation.
Daily Mail 6th June 2015 read more »
Terror
Tucked into the surveillance bill that became law was a little-noticed section that will let the United States complete ratification of two long-stalled treaties aimed at stopping a frightening scenario: terrorists wielding radioactive bombs. One treaty is the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which took effect in 2007. Nations that sign it pledge to enact laws to criminalize certain nuclear terrorist actions and punish individuals who possess or use radioactive or nuclear material and devices or damage nuclear facilities. President George W. Bush signed the convention in 2005, but until last week, the Senate had never approved the necessary legislation.
PBS 7th June 2015 read more »
Economy
Matt Ridley: Until now, green thinking has wanted us to go back to nature: to reject innovations such as genetically modified food, give up commerce and consumption and energy and materials and live simpler lives so that nature is not abused and the climate is not wrecked. The eco-modernists, who include the veteran Californian green pioneer Stewart Brand and the British green campaigner Mark Lynas, say this is a mistake. “Absent a massive human die-off, any large-scale attempt at recoupling human societies to nature using these [ancestral] technologies would result in an unmitigated ecological and human disaster.” Energy was shrinking its footprint nicely, thanks to the shift from wood, water, wind and whales to fossil fuels and nuclear, until the green movement came along and told us to use the landscape for generating power again. Now we are back to cutting wood from forests and dotting the hills with windmills. Most renewables, say the ecomodernists, are a mistake because their footprint is too large.
Times 8th June 2015 read more »
Proliferation
The Middle East is no stranger to double standards when it comes to states’ conduct and the regional policies of foreign powers. Among the most glaring involves weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), specifically nuclear weapons. On 23 May, a month-long review conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended in failure. Western states – including the US, Britain and Canada – blamed Egypt for singling out Israel.Cairo had committed the sin of proposing – with the backing of Arab and non-aligned states – a regional conference on banning WMDs, as called for at the 2010 NPT review. To recap: the proposal was for a WMD-free Middle East, not just a WMD-free Israel.This is not only an obviously good idea, but a fair one. How, then, can it be described as singling out Israel, particularly when states behind the proposal have also been vocal in their concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme?
Middle East Eye 3rd June 2015 read more »
The Saudis have raised the alarming prospect of the Middle East becoming embroiled in a nuclear arms race after the country’s blunt warning that “all options are on the table” if Iran fails to resolve the international stand-off over its nuclear programme.
Telegraph 8th June 2015 read more »
US – Radwaste
A 2014 explosion at a remote facility in New Mexico has exposed a cover-up of the mounting problems encountered in modernizing the United States nuclear weapons arsenal. What US officials have called “stockpile stewardship”—the maintenance of an aging supply of nuclear weapons without detonation—has failed its first major test: disposal of the waste from three-quarters of a century of weapons development. The cause of the 2014 explosion? The inadvertent use of the wrong kind of kitty litter, the supposedly inert material prescribed for packing around the waste in steel storage barrels. While the Department of Energy (DOE) originally reported that the damage was only to one barrel, New Mexico state officials now say that the damage may involve as many as 500 barrels of radioactive waste.
Who, What, Why 4th June 2015 read more »
Canada – Radwaste
Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq has delayed until after the fall election a controversial decision on whether to approve a proposed nuclear-waste facility on the shores of Lake Huron – an issue that has bitterly divided communities in the region. A federal review panel recommended last month that the government approve the repository for low- and medium-level radioactive waste – to be built by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) on the site of the Bruce nuclear plant – subject to the provincial Crown corporation complying with nearly 100 conditions.
Globe and Mail 8th June 2015 read more »
China
China’s greenhouse gas emissions could start to decline within 10 years, according to a report from the London School of Economics. This would be five years earlier than expected and would offer a boost towards efforts to protect the climate. The shift has been partly caused by a massive commitment to renewables. China is the world’s top investor in wind and solar power. It has also been replacing old coal plants with cleaner new stations.
BBC 8th June 2015 read more »
Renewables – solar
The Solar Trade Association (STA) today publishes its ‘Solar Independence Plan for Britain’ blueprint which sets out how the new Government can steer both rooftop solar-generated electricity to parity with retail electricity prices and utility-scale solar farms to parity with new gas CCGT power station prices by 2020. In the report, the STA considers several different options and recommends the Government adopt a ‘higher ambition’ scenario with a target of 25GW by 2020. If adopted, this plan would deliver 2.1 million solar homes, 24,000 commercial rooftop and community schemes, 2,300 solar farms and almost 57,000 jobs in the solar power industry supply chain. Achieving this breakthrough would cost households around £1 per month.
Scottish Energy News 8th June 2015 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
This week, Ewing will speak to Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State Amber Rudd and will make the case on the importance of continued support for onshore wind in the UK and the contribution it makes as the most cost effective route to reducing carbon emissions, creating jobs and keeping the lights on across the UK. Scottish Environment Minister Aileen McLeod has also written to Rudd to urge her to make increasing the UK’s climate change ambition a top priority.
Scottish Energy News 8th June 2015 read more »
CAMPAIGNERS have called on the UK Government to rethink plans to curb the roll-out of onshore wind power. The demand from the World Wildlife Fund comes as newly published figures reveal that last month broke all previous records for wind power output in Scotland in May. Analysis by WWF Scotland of wind and solar data provided by WeatherEnergy found that for the month of May wind power in Scotland alone provided enough electricity to the National Grid to supply just less than half the electrical needs of all Scottish households. WWF Scotland’s director Lang Banks said: “Strong winds throughout the month helped to make it a record-breaking May for wind power output, with enough clean energy generated to supply the needs of 47% of Scotland’s entire electricity demand from homes, businesses and industry for the month. “However, despite the fact onshore wind power is clearly working, the con tinued development of this clean energy technology in Scotland is at risk as a result of UK plans to end support for the industry earlier than planned.
Herald 8th June 2015 read more »
Renewables – offshore wind
The biggest ever deal for a consented project in the UK’s wind energy sector has been agreed for what will be one of the world’s largest wind farms when it’s built off the Suffolk coast. ScottishPower Renewables has selected Siemens as its preferred turbine supplier for the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm, which is expected to deliver enough clean power for around 500,000 local homes. The turbine agreement, which will be the largest individual contract placed as part of the £2bn project, will see up to 102 of Siemens’ 7MW turbines supplied.
Edie 5th June 2015 read more »
Smart Meters
Smart meters will lose functions if householders switch to another energy firm, with a one-year wait before the problem is resolved.
Telegraph 7th June 2015 read more »
Fossil Fuels
One scene stands out more than any other from the Opec International Energy Seminar last week, which attracted the cream of the global oil industry’s executive leadership. When the audience of well over 300 delegates, gathered in Vienna’s splendid Hofburg Palace, were asked in a show of hands whether they believed that the Paris Climate Conference talks – also known as COP 21 and due to be held later this year – will achieve a binding agreement to limit global warming to below 2C, no one in the room raised a glove. It was a remarkable and quite depressing response from the industry – given the growing attention that world leaders, including the likes of US president Barack Obama – are now giving to climate change and the scrutiny that fossil fuel producers are under to persuade them to confront the issue. However, the industry itself is divided over what the appropriate response should be to COP 21 and the growing clamour among campaigners to encourage large institutions to disinvest from fossil-fuel producers. On the one hand, oil companies and coal miners must continue to invest heavily to produce resources which are expected to remain the main drivers for global growth for years to come. But they cannot afford to do nothing and then face all the blame in 20 years’ time should the worst fears surrounding the climate transpire. Oil producers don’t want to become the tobacco companies of the future and be faced with a potentially limitless compensation bill for wrecking the environment.
Telegraph 8th June 2015 read more »
